The Home Office Niche

With home offices increasing in popularity, what better niche for a home office lawyer than advising home based businesses. I’ve shared this idea before, but was reminded of it again after reading this piece from a Colorado publication which describes that:

Douglas County [Colorado] is home to one of the largest populations of home-based businesses in the state, with a whopping 40 percent to 50 percent of all businesses in the county being based in a residence. The highly educated, wealthy residents are taking advantage of the wide range of resources available in their own backyard.

“These are not Tupperware salesmen. They are international consultants, software developers,” Martin said. “They have been pretty successful without an office.”

Home based businesses are a growing niche, particularly in a down economy. In Colorado, there’s an expected increase, with experts saying that roughly seven percent of employees who are laid off will try to start their own business.

As for legal issues relating to home businesses, there’s plenty to keep lawyers busy. Among other things, home based businesses need to consider corporate formation issues, zoning questions, tax issues related to home office deductions, assistance with contracts and employment matters.